Marion Moss Hartog (22 October 182129 October 1907) was an English Jewish poet, author, and educator. She was the editor of the first Jewish women's periodical, ''The Jewish Sabbath Journal''.

Biography

Early life

Marion Moss was born at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

on 22 October 1821, one of twelve children of Amelia () and Joseph Moss. Her great-grandfather was one of the founders of the Portsmouth Jewish community, and her grandmother, Sarah Davids, was the first Jewish child born in Portsmouth. Moss was educated by her parents, and at an early age began with her sister Celia the composition of poems and stories. In 1838 the sisters published by subscription a book of poems entitled ''Early Efforts'', influenced in part by classical

Jewish texts Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and the works of Late-Romantic female poets like

Felicia Hemans Felicia Dorothea Hemans (25 September 1793 – 16 May 1835) was an English poet (who identified as Welsh by adoption). Regarded as the leading female poet of her day, Hemans was immensely popular during her lifetime in both England and the Unit ...

and L.E.L. Among other poems, the volume includes various

lament A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about something ...

s for

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and a narrative documentary of the York Massacre of 1190, as well as thematically-non-Jewish poems such as '' The Battle of Bannockburn'' and ''

Amy Robsart Amy, Lady Dudley (; 7 June 1532 – 8 September 1560) was the first wife of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, favourite of Elizabeth I of England. She is primarily known for her death by falling do ...

's Complaint to the

Earl of Leicester Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837. History Earl ...

''. The book was successful enough for a second edition to be called for the following year.

Career

In 1840 she and Celia published three volumes of tales entitled ''The Romance of Jewish History'', along the lines of Leitch Ritchie's ''Romance of French History''. Each chapter consisted of a "Historical Summary" of some particular period of

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

, followed by a story which the authors had woven round the principal events. Among the subscribers to the work were Sir

Edward Bulwer-Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (; 25 May 1803 – 18 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secr ...

(to whom it was dedicated),

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865), known as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman and politician who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1855 to 1858 and from 1859 to 1865. A m ...

, and Sir

Moses Montefiore Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, Philanthropy, philanthropist and Sheriffs of the City of London, Sheriff of London. Born to an History ...

. These volumes were followed by ''Tales of Jewish History'' (1843). By this time, Moss was engaged in literary work for different publications. She contributed "The Gift and the Loan," and other tales, to the ''Bradford Observer'', which were afterwards reproduced by

Isaac Leeser Isaac Leeser (December 12, 1806 – February 1, 1868) was an American Orthodox Jewish religious leader, teacher, scholar and publisher. He helped found the Jewish press of America, produced the first Jewish translation of the Bible into English, ...

in the ''

Occident The Occident is a term for the West, traditionally comprising anything that belongs to the Western world. It is the antonym of the term ''Orient'', referring to the Eastern world. In English, it has largely fallen into disuse. The term occidental ...

''. She also contributed to the '' Metropolitan Magazine'', and subsequently the ''

Jewish Chronicle ''The Jewish Chronicle'' (''The JC'') is a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world. Its editor () is Daniel Schwammenthal. The newspaper is published every Fri ...

'' and ''Jewish World''. A little later Moss went to London and gained a livelihood as a teacher. In August 1845, she married Paris-born Alphonse Hartog, with whom she had been taking French lessons, and shortly after her marriage established a boarding and day school for young children, which she continued to conduct until her retirement in 1884. Hartog's pupils included her niece Sarah Marks, who moved in with the Hartog family upon the death of her father in 1861.

''The Jewish Sabbath Journal''

In early 1855, Hartog founded the first Jewish women's periodical, ''The Jewish Sabbath Journal; A Penny and Moral Magazine for the Young'', consisting of stories, verses, and religious addresses. The disapproval of

Abraham Benisch Abraham Benisch (; 1811 – 31 July 1878, London) was an English Hebraist, editor, and journalist. He wrote numerous works in the domain of Judaism, Biblical studies, biography, and travel, and during a period of nearly forty years contributed ...

, however, precluded her from publishing notices in ''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The Jewish Chronicle'' (''The JC'') is a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world. Its editor () is Daniel Schwammenthal. The newspaper is published every Fri ...

'', and subscriptions soon fell off. The journal's fourteenth and final issue was published on 8 June 1855, and ended with the poem "On the Death of My Beloved Child".

Later life and death

Hartog wrote little for the remaining 52 years of her life. She died on 29 October 1907 at her home in

Kilburn, London Kilburn is an area in North West London, North West London, in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Brent, Brent and the City of Westminster. Kilburn High Road railway station lies 3.5 miles (5.6 km) n ...

, at the age of eighty-six. Many of her children were eminent. Of her sons,

Numa Edward Hartog Numa Edward Hartog (20 May 1846 – 19 June 1871) was a Jewish British mathematician who attracted attention in 1869 for graduating from Cambridge University as Senior Wrangler and Smith's Prizeman but as a Jew had not been admitted to a fello ...

was

Senior Wrangler The Senior Wrangler is the top mathematics undergraduate at the University of Cambridge in England, a position which has been described as "the greatest intellectual achievement attainable in Britain". Specifically, it is the person who achiev ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

; Marcus and Sir

Philip Hartog Sir Philip Joseph Hartog (2 March 1864 – 27 June 1947) was a British chemist and educationalist who undertook this role in England and India. Early life and education Hartog was born in London on 2 March 1864, the third son of Alfonse and ...

were distinguished men of science. Her daughters were Héléna Arsène Darmesteter, the portrait-painter, and Cécile Hartog, the composer and pianist.

Partial bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartog, Marion 1821 births 1907 deaths People from Portsea, Portsmouth English women writers Jewish English writers Jewish women writers Jewish poets Jewish educators 19th-century English educators 19th-century English women educators Romantic poets British women magazine editors English women editors English magazine editors English women short story writers English short story writers 19th-century English women writers